Nektaria Anastasiadou @NektariaAna Twitter profile

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

4 years

Washington Post Review of #ARecipeforDaphne , set among Istanbul’s Rum Orthodox Christians. It is "a novel to be thoroughly savored, from its enticing culinary elements to its charming love stories." @vanessahlarson @HoopoeFiction

Review | ‘A Recipe for Daphne’ is a delicious debut

Nektaria Anastasiadou’s novel follows a young American woman who travels to Turkey to explore her heritage.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #9 : Σικτίρ πιλάφι/siktirpilafi (f%@#-off pilav) is the last treat that you serve when you are tired of your guests and want to hint that they should leave. In the past, a sweet rice pilav was served to guests at Rum weddings as a sign that the party was over.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

2 years

Ramazan pidesi and Easter cookies in the same window. Now all we need are some boxes of matzah to complete the picture. Günaydın, Kurtuluş. Günaydın, İstanbul.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Α gift of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu & the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Pascha Tsoureki/Paskalya Çöreği for Orthodox Easter🙏 @ekrem_imamoglu @municipalityist

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum Kitchen #11 : If you ask any old Rum about mille feuille, they will send you to the Savoy in Cihangir, where the pastry is always crisp, "not soggy like in Greece," because it is made fresh daily, never refrigerated, and sells out by late afternoon.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

2 years

Love this Kahve Dünyası banner, which says: This month. Ramazan, Passover, and Easter together. May it be blessed for all of us.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Halloween in Istanbul.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #17 : Formerly Byzantium, New Rome, Constantinoupolis, Kostantiniyye; today Istanbul; but if you ask an Istanbul Rum where he is from, he will reply "the Πόλη/Poli/City" because there is only One and no others compare.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #28 : The bread ring called κουλούρι/kouloúri in Greece is a σιμίτι/simíti in Istanbul. Simíti may have Persian roots (passed into Turkish as simit), but a more likely possibility is the Ancient Greek σησαμίτης/sisamítis, a sesame-covered bread.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #25 : Α mansion on the shores of the Bosporus is called γιαλί/yalí. The word descends from the Ancient Greek αιγιαλός/eyialós (seashore) and has passed into Turkish as yalı. Photo: Tophane Müşiri Zeki Paşa Yalısı in Rumeli Hisarı.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Tatavla, Istanbul #15 : While some Western Christians forget that today is Orthodox Easter, Muslim, Jewish and Armenian neighbours in Tatavla remember. Here, a bakery window in Baruthane Caddesi. Χρόνια Πολλά!

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3 years

Istanbul Rum Tradition #30 : The Easter Sunday meal includes lamb roasted in the oven (not outdoors on a spit, as in Greek villages); potatoes or pilaf; salad with egg, lettuce, dill & spring onion; tsoureki/çörek with mastic & mahleb; and meze, including artichokes, sarma, etc.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #210 : By saying a word twice and changing the word's 1st letter to "m" in the 2nd instance (as in "πατάτες ματάτες/patátes matátes"), we declare "and the like"--sometimes with a dose of disdain ("potatoes and the like"). The same use exists in Turkish.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #16 : Μάνι-μάνι/mani-mani is a favorite Istanbul adverb, used sometimes also in Greece, meaning "quickly" (from Italian mena le mani). In the video, the guys at the Mehmet Efendi counter in Eminönü wrap freshly ground coffee μάνι-μάνι/mani-mani.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #8 : Αρμένικη βίζιτα/Armeniki vizita/Armenian visit is what we call the situation where the guests stay too long and don't seem to have any intention of leaving. I'll let my Armenian friends explain why.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum New Year Tradition #6 : leaving pilaf and sarma on table for Aï-Vasili, like leaving milk and cookies for Santa.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #5 : An expression that I use daily for my stubborn Karadenizli husband is νάτο κεφάλι νάτο μερμέρι, which passed into Turkish as nato kafa nato mermer. Literally: "here is the head, here is the marble."

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #94 : We have two words for key: κλειδί/klidí (also used in Central Greek) and αναχτάρι/anahtári, from Medieval Greek ανοικτήριον/aniktírion. The Turkish word anahtar also descends from ανοικτήριον/aniktírion.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum Kitchen #15 : A pudding beloved by Turks, Rums & other Middle Easterners is aşure, descended from Byzantine varvara, made for the feast of St Barbara from wheat, dried plums & apricots, raisins, nuts & sometimes rose water. It is distributed to neighbors and friends.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum Tradition #29 : On Great Friday, we traditionally make the dried-fruit and nut pudding aşure (ασουρές/βαρβάρα) because it is vegan and oil-less…and since it is so delicious, we keep eating all day on Great Saturday.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #199 : Κουραμπιές/kurambiés ( < Turkish kurabiye < Persian گلاب gulab = rosewater) is a Christmas cookie made from flour, almonds, butter & optional citrus water, vanilla & cognac in Greece. In Istanbul, it is an anytime butter, almond & rosewater cookie.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #57 : We call a baby γιαβρί/yiavrí from Turkish yavru. In Greece you'll hear the term of endearment μωρό μου/moró mou, but in Istanbul we say γιαβρί μου/yiavrí mou. Photo: Our yiavrí at three months old.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

1 year

The Bosphorus before cement.

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3 years

Istanbul Rum Kitchen #13 : The first Baylan was founded in 1923 in Beyoğlu by Rum patissier Filip Lenas. Its signature Kup Griye—vanilla & carmel icecream, caramel sauce, honeyed almonds, chantilly, ground pistachios & langue de chat—was invented by Filip’s son Harry in 1954.

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@NektariaAna

2 years

If only Twitter could give you the warm, woody aroma of fresh Ramazan pidesi wafting out of Harbiye Fırını and Mahmutoğlu in Pangaltı at his time of evening...

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@NektariaAna

4 years

A Custom of Old Istanbul Rum (Greek) Ladies of the Last Century: Spoon sweets are served to guests, but what about coffee alone at home? A 90ish Rum bishop confessed to me that he loved dipping thinly cut kaşar cheese into his coffee “just as all old Rum ladies used to do.”

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum Kitchen #24 : Sugar did not become a part of Byzantine cuisine until the 13th century. Until then, sweets were made w/ honey, dried & fresh fruits, nuts, grape & pomegranate molasses, like this old recipe of dried figs stuffed w/ pistachios & walnuts & cooked w/honey.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #32 : Although Greece borrowed its word for cooking pot, κατσαρόλα/katsaróla, from the Venetian cazzarola, in Istanbul we use τεντζερές/tendzerés, a word which came into Turkish (tencere) and Istanbul Greek through Persian and/or Arabic.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #38 : Parsely in Ancient Greek was πετροσέλινο/petrosélino, but because it flourished in Macedonia, it became known as μακεδονήσιον/makedonísion. The word was borrowed into Turkish as maydanoz & reborrowed into Greek (Istanbul & Greece) as μαϊντανός/maïndanós.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #66 : Although Athenians use the word μπουγάτσα/bougátsa (from Turkish poğaça from Italian focaccia) for a sweet cream-filled pastry, we use it for savory pastries filled with cheese or meat. Listen to the call of an Istanbul μπουγατσατζής/bougatsatzís here:

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #22 : In Greece the shoemaker is τσαγκάρης/tsaŋgáris (from Persian), while in Istanbul Greek it is κουντουράς/koundouras or κουντουρατζής/koundouratzis from the Byzantine κούντουρα/koundoura (shoes). Turkish also uses the Byzantine words kundura & kunduracı.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #37 : Mulberries (& generic berries) are μούρα/moúra in Greece; in Istanbul they are ντούτια/dútia, from Arabic tut through Turkish dut. One of the great pleasures of Istanbul in June, as long as you don't slip on those fallen from trees.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #107 : The area of Istanbul now called Beyoğlu was formerly called Πέρα/Péra (meaning beyond or “over there”) because it lies on the opposite side of the Golden Horn from the old city. The word survives in business names, including the Pera Palace Hotel.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #30 : Φαγιάνς/fayiáns is the word we use for ceramic tile (called πλακάκια/plakákia in Greece). The word passed into Turkish (as fayans) and Istanbul Greek through French, but its roots are in Faenza, Italy, famous for its glazed pottery.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #68 : We call almonds μπαντέμια/badémia, from Turkish badem from Persian badam; and we call ice μπούζι/búzi, from Turkish buz. Photo: Buzlu badem (iced almonds), a specialty of Istanbul meyhanes, accompanied by a glass of ντούζικο/dúziko (see #59 ).

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #50 : Τhe Greeks reborrowed στυλός/stylós from the French who borrowed Greek στυλογράφος/stylοgráfos, but we use the Mediterranean traveller καλέμι/kalémi from Turkish kalem, from Arabic kalam, from Ancient Greek κάλαμος/kálamos.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #133 : Anchovy is γαύρος/gávros in Central Greek but χαμσί/hamsí (from Pontic Greek χαψίον/hapsíon) in Istanbul Greek and hamsi in Turkish.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

4 years

In Istanbul Rum houses, "spoon sweets" are the traditional companion of Turkish coffee during visits. Here, rose sweet homemade by a venerable Rum chef whose secrets I was privileged to learn. It tastes divine, like sugared love.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum Kitchen #9 : Certain treats are bought at confectionaries rather than made at home. Among these are our favourite badem ezmesi (marzipan) from the historical Üç Yıldız Şekerleme in the Balık Pazarı (Fish Market of Beyoğlu).

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@NektariaAna

7 months

Büyükada'dan günaydın. Καλημέρα από την Πρίγκηπο. Good morning from the Prince Islands, Istanbul.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #166 : Ιμάμ Μπαϊλντί/Imám Baïldí (from Turkish İmam Bayıldı = the Imam Fainted) is an Ottoman dish made from eggplant stuffed with onions and tomatoes. Μπαϊλντίζω/baïldízo (from Turkish bayılmak = to faint) means to become very tired or laugh heartily.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #133 : A brothel is an οίκος ανοχής/íkos anohís or μπουρδέλο/burdélo (>Venetian bordelo) in Central Greek and a κερχανές/kerhanés (> Turkish kerhane) in Istanbul Greek. Κερχανέ τατλισί/kerhane tatlısı was a favourite treat after brothel visits.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #41 : Σεμιζότι/semizóti (from the Turkish semizotu) is another Istanbul delight in June, especially as salad with yoghurt and garlic sauce. It is called γλιστρίδα/glistrídha in Greece, where it is comparatively overlooked (except by Pontian grandmas).

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@NektariaAna

4 years

Istanbul Rum (Greek) New Year tradition #6 : leaving pilaf and sarma on table for Saint Basil (sort of like leaving milk and cookies for Santa). Happy New Year and goodnight!

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

4 years

The argument among old Istanbul Rum ladies is whether cognac or pure alcohol makes better sour cherry (vişne) liqueur; how much sugar should be added; and which flavorings: cinnamon, mastic, ginger, orange or lemon peel, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns.

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2 years

If only Twitter could give you the warm, sweet scent of mahlab and mastic wafting out of Kaçkar, Palmiye and Arma in Kurtuluş, Istanbul this morning... Paskalya Çöreği (< Greek Πάσχα/Páscha < Hebrew Pesach + Turkish çörek) in Turkish. Τσουρέκι/tsuréki in Greek. Χρόνια Πολλά.🌷

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #4 : Dalga means wave, temporary love affair, and reverie in Turkish; in Istanbul Greek, νταλγκάς/dalgas means wave or obsession; in Greece, the same word (but sometimes spelled νταλκάς/dalkas) is used for longing and unrequited love.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #180 : A lovely Turkish expression that passed into Istanbul Greek is μπουραντάκιοϊ/buradáköy, "here village." Used thus: "Where are you going on vacation?" You aren't going anywhere, so you say: "We are spending the holidays in μπουραντάκιοϊ/buradaköy."

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #11 : Αγιάζι/ayazi: humid, piercing cold, especially on winter nights & early mornings (from the Turkish ayaz, which refers to dry cold). Although used in Greece as well, there is no place like Istanbul to understand the true meaning of ayazi.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #54 : Whereas Greece uses the word βάζο/vázo (from Italian vaso) for jar, we use καβανόζι/kavanózi (reborrowed from Turkish kavanoz, borrowed from Byzantine γάβενος/gávenos). Photo: this year's sour cherry (βύσσινο/vişne) liqueur brewing in a giant kavanózi.

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@NektariaAna

2 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #270 : Pastry for baklava etc. is called φύλλο/fílo/leaf in Central Greek but γιουφκάς/yufkás (< Turkish yufka < Old Turkish yuvka=thin) in Istanbul Greek. Γιουφκά γιουρεκλής/yufká yureklís (< Turkish yürek) means someone with a heart as soft as yufka.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Cumhuriyet Bayramımız kutlu olsun.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul’dan günaydın. Καλημέρα από την Πόλη. Good morning from Istanbul.

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@NektariaAna

2 years

#Istanbul this morning... For all its craziness, the minute your ferry leaves the dock, you don't want to be anywhere else.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Tatavla, Istanbul #13 : Although I can’t give you the heavenly scents of mastic gum & mahleb (ground cherry pit) in the Paskalya Çöreği baking all over the neighbourhood for Armenian Easter, I can give you a Tatavla bakery vitrine with signage in Turkish & Armenian.

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@NektariaAna

10 months

Istanbul Greek Idiom #423 : The last period of warm autumn weather is called a παστουρμά γιαζί/pasturmá yazí ( < Turkish pastırma yazı = pastrami summer ), so named because it is the ideal weather for making pastırma/pastrami.

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4 years

Istanbul Rum (Greek) Tradition #8 : after Rum funerals, coffee is served with anise crackers/paximadi. Coffee is therefore never served at happy Rum ceremonies, such as kız isteme/logodosia/asking for girl’s hand, for fear that it will bring bad luck.

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2 years

Good Morning, Istanbul. Günaydın, İstanbul. Καλημέρα, Πόλη. #Istanbul #HagiaSophia #Ayasofya

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #31 : Σεβντάς/sevdás is one of those magical Arabic words that passed into both Turkish (as sevda) & Greek. It means passionate love, often ill-fated or melancholy. Its extreme version is καρασεβντάς/karasevdás, black sevda, a Turko-Arabic hybridism.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum New Year Tradition #5 : 12 candles in the vasilopita (flavored with mahlep and mastic) for the 12 months of the year. Whoever gets the piece with the hidden coin enjoys a year of blessings.

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3 years

Total respect for #Istanbul restaurants that let the stray dogs in on cold, rainy days .

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #21 : Called αγκινάρες αλά Πολίτα/anginares à la Polita in Greece and εγκινάρες here in Istanbul, where everything is à la Polita. From the Byzantine word αγκινάρα/anginara, which passed into Turkish as enginar and ping-ponged back to us as εγκινάρα/enginara.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum Tradition #19 : Today is Clean Monday, the start of Lent. Our elders say that if the weather is fair, it will be a good year. A century ago the weather was bad 3 years in a row; so an angry Tatavla taverna owner ascended a tree, cursed the heavens & shot at the sky.

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2 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #374 : New Year's Eve is Παραμονή Πρωτοχρονιάς/Paramoní Protohroniás in Central Greek but Καλή Βραδιά/Kalí Vraδiá (literally Good Evening) in Istanbul Greek.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #10 : Καβάφης/kavafis, famous as the surname of the great poet Cavafy, is the Istanbul Greek word for a cobbler of second-rate shoes or for a person who does shoddy work (loan from Turkish word kavaf). Alas, not a fitting surname for the perfectionist poet.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #1 : Whereas wisteria is called γλυσίνα/glysina in Athens, in Istanbul (as well as in many parts of Greece outside Athens), we call it σαλκίμι/salkimi, borrowed from the Turkish salkım. (In photo: Şişli Mosque this morning.)

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2 years

Boğaz geçişi. Daima büyüleyici. Bosphorus crossing.

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@NektariaAna

4 years

The Istanbul Rum Kitchen #3 : Fish preserved with salt—like this hamsi, marinated in dill, lemon, and bay leaves—was among the most popular foods in Byzantium and a favourite of the emperors. It is still an essential on Rum tables, serving as an accompaniment to raki.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #61 : Πιάζι/piázi (from Turkish piyaz from Persian piyaz, which means onion) is a typical Istanbul dish made from white beans, parsley, onion, salt and sometimes other herbs and boiled egg. In our dialect πιάζι/piázi also means flattery, as in Turkish.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #2 : Whereas the Athenian word for snack is κολατσιό/kolatsio (from the Italian colazione, meaning breakfast), in Istanbul we call our afternoon snack κεντιανό/kendiano, because it is eaten near the time of the Muslim Turkish ikindi prayer.

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2 years

When Istanbul disappears into the winter mist….

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #58 : Whereas Central Greek usually uses the word κήπος/kípos for garden, we use μπαχτσές/ bahtsés, which we pronounce bah-chés (from Turkish bahçe from Persian bāġçe). Video: the bahchés of St. Dimitrios, Büyükada (Πρίγκηπος) this morning.

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3 years

Istanbul Rum Tradition #27 : Eggs are dyed on Great Thursday of Holy Week using onion skins; the red colour symbolizes blood. After polishing them with olive oil, the lady of the house places one in the family iconostasis (icon shrine), replacing last year's egg.

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3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #48 : Cobblestone is καλντερίμι/kalderími, from Turkish kaldırım. We also use the Turko-Arabic hybrid καλντερίμ μουχεντίσης/kaldirím mouhendísis (kaldırım mühendisi/sidewalk engineer) for loafers and idlers.

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3 years

Istanbul Rum Tradition #37 : Whereas the traditional Christmas meal in Greece is usually pork, the traditional Istanbul Christmas meal is roast ό��νιθα/órnitha (chicken) and πιλάφι/piláfi.

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2 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #229 : The district of Kurtuluş was originally called Ταταύλα/Tatávla, most likely from the Greek word στάβλοι/stávli, meaning stables, because the Genoese of Galata had stables here before the 16th-century settlement of the site by Chiot harbour workers.

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@NektariaAna

3 years

Νo Istanbul idioms today because I had to take my novel manuscript to its first two readers in Χάλκη/Heybeliada. When it's published, you'll have a whole novel of Istanbul Greek to enjoy. Photo: Three and a half years of work in a box.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #17 : Ρωμιός/Romios (m) Ρωμέισσα/Romeissa (f) was a citizen of the Byzantine Emp. & an Orthodox Christian of the Ottoman Emp.; today an Orthodox Christian of Turkey (Rum in Turkish). The community's traditional mother tongue is Greek. Photo: Fener Rum Lycée

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

2 years

Good Morning from Istanbul. Istanbul'dan günaydın. Καλημέρα από την Πόλη.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

2 years

Happy Sunday from Istanbul. İstanbul’dan İyi Pazarlar. Καλή Κυριακή από την Πόλη.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

2 years

Istanbul Rum Tradition #42 : On Jan. 6, Epiphany, bishops throw crosses into the sea. The spectacle is welcomed by all religions & particularly appreciated by fisherman & sailors. Divers for the cross are traditionally men, but this year in Kınalıda, Istanbul,

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

The Istanbul Rum Kitchen #6 : One of our most traditional accompaniments to coffee—and my personal favourite—are batons salés (ever so slightly sweet butter sticks flavoured with mahleb, salt sprinkled on top).

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #79 : We call tea brewed in a double pot ντεμλίδικο/demlídiko (from Turkish demli from Perrsian دم, meaning breath). Ντεμλίδικο/demlídiko also refers to strong tea. Using tea bags—as the Greeks do, especially when ill—is rare.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Yesterday in snowy Tatavla, Istanbul: inhabited mainly by Rums from 16th cen. to 1922 (along w/ Armenians & Jews in the latter part of this period), Tatavla was renamed Kurtuluş after the fire of 1929. It remains the Istanbul community w/ the largest number of Rums to this day.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum Tradition #38 : In Greece the traditional Christmas sweets are μελομακάρονα/melomakárona & κουραμπιέδες/kurambiéδes (more on them later), but the traditional Istanbul Christmas sweet is walnut κανταΐφι/kadaïfi.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Rum Tradition #35 : On August 27, St Fanourios's Day, Rums make cakes called Fanouropita from 7 or 9 ingredients, hoping the saint will φανερώσει/fanerósi/make appear something in their lives. The cakes are blessed in church & eaten afterward. @YenikoyPanayia

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

4 years

Istanbul Rum (Greek) Culinary Tradition #7 : Although Rum & Turkish sarma look the same, Rum sarma contain greater amounts of onion, dill, & mint but no pine nuts/raisins. I’ve heard old folks call sarma w/ pine nuts & raisins “orospu dolması" but they didn't know why. Any ideas?

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

4 years

Istanbul Rum (Greek) Tradition #7 : Οur sour-cherry liqueur (vişne) is running low, and no Rum home can possibly be without homemade liqueur (in my husband’s Trabzon Rum family, one had to apologise before serving guests store-bought liqueur). So we're brewing mandarin & orange.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #3 : The Galata Tower is the Πύργος του Γαλατά/Pyrgos tou Galata for Greeks, but for us it is simply the Κουλάς/Koulas, from the Turkish küle. Ladino also uses the same word, Kula, for the monument of this traditionally Jewish neighbourhood.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #151 : A large office/professional building or an inn for a travelling caravan is a χάνι/háni (from Turkish han from Persian خان ). Photo: Zincirli Han in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #87 : Καφαλτί/kafaltí in Istanbul Greek (from Turkish kahvaltı, the meal eaten with coffee) means a rich, satisfying breakfast.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

“Do you remember,” Fanis said, “when Pera was full of churches?” "Of course," said the bishop. "But more than all that, I remember when Pera was full of pastry shops. A step and a pastry shop. Another step and another pastry shop. Those were the days." #ARecipeforDaphne

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #82 : Arabs brought the eggplant (badinjan) to Byzantium, where it was renamed μαντζάνα/mantzana. In Istanbul we still use μαντζάνα/mantzana, as well as πατλιτζάνα/patlitzana, most likely through Turkish patlıcan. Central Greek uses μελιτζάνα/melitzana.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #104 : Τσιμένι/tsiméni (from Turkish çemen from Persian چمن ) refers to the herb, pepper, and garlic mixture that covers pastırma. Τσιμένι/tsiméni (from Turkish çimen) also means grass in Istanbul Greek.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #43 : A fruit with a tangled past. Called βερίκοκα/veríkoka in Greece (related to Latin/Greek praecocia/πραικόκια which passed into Arabic as berkuk & then on to Europe); called simply καΐσια/kaísia in Istanbul (from Arabic kaysi through Turkish kayısı).

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #157 : For us, εκμέκ κανταΐφι/ekmek kadaífi (> Turkish ekmek kadayıfı) is a syrupy bread dessert served w/ kaymak (see #156 ); but in Central Greek, it refers to a syrupy dessert made w/ thread-like pastry & layered w/ Chantilly cream. Photo: Istanbul version

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #18 : Our word for spoon is χουλιάρι/houliari from κοχλιάριον/kohliarion (some early spoons were shells -κοχλίας/kohlias- with handles). The word exists in Greece but is rarely used; Istanbul Greek, however, preserves the original Byzantine usage.

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

2 years

Istanbul Greek (non-)Idiom #0 : One of the only Turkish desserts that was never adopted into Rum culture (& therefore doesn't have a Greek name) is the Ramazan treat güllaç (<Persian گلانج): pastry layers soaked in milk & sugar & flavoured w/ rose water. #Ramazan #RamadanMubarak

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Nektaria Anastasiadou

@NektariaAna

3 years

Istanbul Greek Idiom #147 : Γιαρμάς/yarmás in Central Greek and also γιαρμά σεφταλί/yarmá seftalí in Istanbul Greek (both from Turkish yarma), a type of large peach that splits easily in half. Γιαρμάς/yarmás also means rude or inelegant in Istanbul Greek.

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